


Belonging

by SilverFaerie



Category: Carpe Noctem, Vampire: The Masquerade, White Wolf, World of Darkness - Fandom
Genre: Ficlet, Gen, The Echo Chamber, malkavian - Freeform, the madness network - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-04-17
Updated: 2017-04-17
Packaged: 2018-10-20 08:26:09
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 458
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10658742
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SilverFaerie/pseuds/SilverFaerie
Summary: Demetrios finds a moment of peace within the Network





	Belonging

Demetrios makes himself comfortable on the bed, his back against the cold stone of the basement wall and his long legs folded up to his chest as he rests his head upon his knees. He closes his eyes, willing the evenings’ stresses and pains away as he waits, listening patiently. The low rumble of voices in his head begins to come to the forefront as he concentrates on the web, feeling out for the connections, pulling himself towards them, and letting the room around him fade.

The Network unfolds like an ancient map; islands of light and sound revealing themselves in every direction as he floats in the blackness. He lets the voices of the thousands of his kin wash over him, not listening for anything in particular just enjoying the familiar cacophony. He feels at once tiny and infinite: a single star in a great celestial ocean.

Things make sense here: the collective wisdom of the entire Clan threaded together. He doubts there is anything he could not find the answer to within this place, given enough time. A sudden pain weighs upon him when he finds himself wondering once again what treasure he can bring to this collection; what scrap of knowledge or insight he possesses to make himself useful. He feels the threads begin to loosen, slipping back to the world. Perhaps he doesn’t belong here in this sacred plane… He is about to exit completely when a gaggle of soft voices and lights pull him back.

_Hush now, young one. You’re home: you owe us nothing but your light._

He allows himself to be drawn back inward, smiling. The voices laugh softly and kindly, one by one floating back into their own place in the darkness once he is secure again. These angels appear from time to time, pale and warm spectres that bring nothing but kindness and reassurance: he wonders who they were in life. Perhaps, he wonders, that is something he could do when his time ends and he ascends to the Network fully; the thought comforts him. He is not blind enough to think that all his brethren are so altruistic, many voices in the darkness sow nothing but nonsense and violence. It is all a balance, he reasons: the loud, brash ones that hurt his ears, and the soft, gentle voices of these guardians. The Network calls to many.

Somewhere, through many layers of sound, there is a door knocking. He is always reluctant to leave but it sounds urgent; he will return again soon. He stretches out his thoughts in every direction, trying to capture as much light and sound as possible to take with him, before cutting the threads loose and sinking upwards, back to the waking world…


End file.
